When I Let Go
by Cally Starkiller
Summary: Shepard felt his hands grasp hers as she struggled to pull him up. But they're exhausted and sometimes, you've just got to let go. A one-shot.


The human Reaper finally fell down. Shepard smiles at her team, Garrus and Tali. Tali squeals for joy while Garrus grins back at Shepard. "Well at least that part's over. Now we just have to blow this place apart and we're good to go."

As Shepard sets up the charges, the Illusive Man decides to pay a holographic visit. "Shepard…"

The Illusive Man makes his proposition but the whole time Shepard was laughing. "You seriously expect me to leave this damned base intact? This place is a fucking abomination. So I suggest you take your offer and shove it." Shepard glares threateningly at him and the transmission was severed.

"Heh, good one Shepard." Tali agreed.

Shepard smirks and felt like she was on top of the world. "Can this day get any better?"

She knowingly gazes over at Garrus and he replies back suggestively, "Oh I think it can…"

"Well Mr. Confidence, we'll see." Shepard rolls at her eyes at him and even though she knew that Garrus was 'awkward' he was getting more confident.

"Charges set. Let's get out of here." At that moment, the human reaper came back up. "Oh not this again. Shoot it!"

"Don't have to tell us twice Commander." Tali yelled as she ducked behind cover. "Use that new Collector laser thingy we picked up!"

"Laser thingy? Oh the Collector beam. Yes ma'am." Shepard pulled it out and shot it at the Reaper in the eyes. "This thing is creepy."

"No kidding." Tali said back as she deployed a combat drone against the incoming Collectors.

"And stay down!" She said as the Reaper fell down for the second time. "It had better stay dead cause I am so exhausted at this point." But the Reapers' arm hit nearby them, causing the floors to shake downward.

Shepard yelped as the floor below them started shifting. They were practically free-falling until they hit back down. Shepard looked over to see Garrus sliding away from them. "Garrus!"

She skidded herself toward him and held out her arm for his. She felt his talons scrape against her fingers as he moved closer and closer toward the edge. At the last second, her fingers grasped his. "Hang on!"

But she could feel him slipping away. Her arm was shaking with exertion as she willed her arm to lift itself up. '_So…tired…'_

Her whole body was aching with burnt pain from various Collector beams and gunfire. At this point, she was using both hands to slowly lift Garrus up. "Save yourself Shepard."

"No! I won't let you go…stay…I can do it." Shepard grunted in exasperation as he slowly let go with each talon. "Don't do it…"

"I'll see you soon Comm-"The rest of his words were unheard as Shepard screamed.

"I told you not to let go!" Shepard could already feel the waterworks going as she saw his body plummet down.

They crashed.

* * *

Shepard felt something overpowering her. She painstakingly stood up, pushing away the sheet of metal off of her. She looked to her right. There laid Tali. Shepard ran over to her and pulled her arm to release her. "I'm here."

"Garrus isn't…" Shepard mumbled as she looked back. The Collector swarm was coming back…but did she really want to run away? _'Save yourself Shepard.'_

His words echoed in her head as she started sprinting, leaving Garrus behind. Her foot burned each time she took a step. Her right arm hung limply at her side. The next minute she was flying through the air toward the Normandy.

"Ahh!" Shepard yelled as her arm jerked against the Normandy's exterior. The only thing holding her up was her left arm.

Joker was firing a standard assault rifle as Tali gripped her hands and helped her up. Joker headed inside as Shepard was literally dragged inside much to her protests. "We can't leave Garrus! He could still-"

"Garrus is gone Shepard." Tali told her heartbroken friend.

"No he isn't…I had him in my hands…I…I dropped him. He let go and I…dropped him." Shepard stared wide-eyed at the airlock door as Joker flew them out of there at the last second.

Shepard laid there on the ground in pain as Chakwas and Tali tried helping her back up. "We need to go Shepard to medbay!"

* * *

Blue eyes fluttering open, shouts rang out. "She's awake!"

"Is the Commander okay?"

"I heard that the turian didn't make it."

"Garrus!" Shepard yelled out, seeing his face before her. But it disappeared as suddenly as it came.

Tali lowered her voice, sitting nearby her. "Shepard..." Tali's whisper was still heard by everone though."Garrus is dead."

She clenched her fists tightly as she tried to remember his scent, his face...she still could feel his hands holding onto hers.

"I know..."


End file.
